A UEFA Europa League tie that struggled to get started looked destined for a goalless draw until Dame N'Doye's 67th-minute opener lit the touchpaper. Jan Schlaudraff's crisp effort swiftly restored parity and that set the stage for a marvellous winner, Stindl latching onto a long ball from the back, lobbing it inside Ragnar Sigurdsson with his right foot before firing in with his left.

Victory leaves Hannover on eight points alongside their next opponents R. Standard de Liège, whom they visit on 30 November, while FCK now find their last-32 hopes precariously balanced four points back. Indeed, with so much at stake, the going during the first half proved as heavy as the mist that had shrouded Parken Stadion before kick-off.

All too often, modest attacks crumbled before imposing defensive walls, though FCK, for whom a win was more imperative, gradually lost their inhibitions. Particularly key to their better moves were Christián Bolaños and César Santin, whose 89th-minute goal earned a 2-2 draw when these sides met a fortnight ago in Germany, but there was little in the way of chances until N'Doye broke through.

The Senegal striker made his presence felt by reacting quickest when a corner was half-cleared, collecting the ball and lashing in via the slightest of deflections. The 10,000 visiting fans were finally silenced – temporarily. Indeed, four minutes later, Mohammed Abdellaoue glanced a Sofian Chahed cross towards the edge of the box, where Schlaudraff met it with an incisive finish.

Chahed then hit the crossbar, but this was Stindl's night. The midfielder had not scored all season and had headed the only chance of the first half wastefully over following good work from Abdellaoue. How he made amends, ending FCK's eight-game unbeaten home run in UEFA group stage matches in one glorious instant.

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